Mysterious Stranger
by The Next Marauder
Summary: Lily spent the night at the dance with a mysterious stranger, who was he? And will she ever see him again? It's time to go on a hunt for Zorro! LJ, MWPP Era, Please RR!


**Disclaimer:** I own, none of the characters you regognise, and the ones you don't are probably mine. But if they're not, just don't sue, cause I really don't have the money...

**Dedication:** Dedicated to the graduating class of Year 9 Penrhos 2006. Yes, even the girls I hate, because we all got throguh Middle School!

**A/N: **Ok, so i've gone against my tendancy to shy away from ff author made up things, but this one has two so I apologise. In this chapter we have the Halloween dance, and then there's the shared heads room in later chapters. I got this idea from my own graduation dance, because we all dressed up and yes, before you ask in reviews I indeed was a pirate, although I wasn't just any pirate; I was Captain Jack Sparrow D. Please enjoy!

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The hall glistened with the tiny lights given off by fairies that fluttered around the roof. Tiny beetles of light rotated around the room, shimmering off of hovering disco balls. The ground was layered in a smooth coating of mist that settled around people's feet as they danced. There was a slight blue tinge to everything, and the lights were dimmed, making time seem almost endless. People seemed to almost glide through the fog in a manner of costumes, outfitted perfectly for the school's Halloween dance.

The soft rhythmic sound of the music wavered over the crowd and gave the dancing couples a beat to move to. It moved in stark contrast to the earlier music, which would have been more suited to a muggle nightclub than a dance. The dinner plates had long since been cleared and only a few tables were left for people to sit down and rest their feet. On one of these tables could be found a girl with brilliant red hair that was pulled back in a braid, and put underneath a pirate hat.

Lily Evans loved watching people dance. The entrancing rhythm of it all seemed to sweep away her imagination. She had been pleased at the night, as she and James Potter had planned it all from scratch. In fact, the only thing that Lily felt slight resentment at was that she had no one to dance with.

She didn't _really_ care, she told herself. You don't need to dance with someone to have fun. Her friends had come to sit by for a time, only to be whisked away into dancing again. She played with the hem of her skirt, which was rather much shorter than she was used to wearing. It had been Piper's idea for her to wear a skirt. She had suggested that Lily should bend the rules a bit and go to the dance as a female pirate, so now she was sitting there wearing her hat, a rather billowy shirt, a waistcoat, a mini skirt and knee high boots, along with the pirate essentials; sword, pistol, compass and bandanna.

The song that was currently playing was repeating its chorus, indicating that it would soon end, when Piper came and plopped down next to her, dressed in her funky fairy costume.

"Come on Lily, go ask someone to dance!" she said with a smile, her face flushed from her own dancing.

Lily smiled, "No, I'm fine."

"Beth, make Lily dance!" Piper called out to another girl, dressed as a devil _(A/N: That's one for you Prongs!)_, as she came over and sat on the other side of Lily.

"Lily, come on, you have to dance!" Beth laughed, punching Lily lightly on the arm.

"I'll dance when I'm good and ready," Lily laughed, and they became caught up in their conversation, so much so that they did not see someone approaching them. The three girls looked up as they heard someone softly clear their throat, to see someone concealed under the mask of Zorro. Piper raised her eyebrows and looked at this new addition.

"Good evening ladies," he said. "I was wondering if I could ask this charming woman to dance," he asked, looking at Lily. Her green eyes caught his own, and sent shivers down her spine.

Before she could answer him Beth replied for her. "She'd love to dance with you," she replied with a giggle and both she and Piper pushed Lily to a standing position.

He took her hand and led her to the edge of the dancing couples. "I must warn you," she told him. "I'm a little rusty on my dancing skills, are you sure you want to dance with me?"

He smiled, and as cliché as it was she felt her heart skip a beat. "I have been waiting for a long time to dance with you, so I shall make you a deal. Dance with me for a song, and if you want to, you can dance for longer. If not, I will let you leave, savvy?"

She giggled slightly at his use of pirate lingo and nodded, "Aye aye," she replied.

They joined hands and slowly began to dance as the next song began. Lily felt exhilarated as she slowly began to get lost in the music. To be quite honest with herself she couldn't remember when one song stopped and another began, but neither of them made a move to leave.

She wondered who this person was that she was actually dancing with, and she had half a mind to ask him, yet she was afraid that she might break the enchantment that almost seemed wrought around them. She could cut a few people off an imaginary list, as she knew he had a good body; she could feel it as her arms were wrapped around his neck, his shoulder just the right height, and their chests pressed together.

She knew there would be a large chance of her partner being muggle born, since he was dressed as Zorro, a muggle character.

But his eyes.

She felt for sure she would have remembered those eyes from before. At brief moments when she had a chance to look into them, they sparked hazel in the dappled light and were almost hypnotising.

She lost track of all time as she got caught up in the night and dancing, and at one point she briefly recalled what her mother had said once about dancing with someone you know is made for you. The fact that this seemed to be as close to her mother's description as possible almost frightened her, but she could not leave his embrace even if she wanted to.

Slowly the couples began to thin out as people made their way up to bed, ready to sleep in till twelve the next morning. She knew that eventually the night would have to end, the songs would stop playing, and she had a fleeting though that maybe they could dance with no music. It happened in the movies, right?

She dreaded the moment when the last song ended, and it came almost too soon for her. As the last note pierced the air she lifted her head off of his shoulder and opened her eyes. Around a dozen couples were left she noticed as she looked around.

Her gaze slowly wandered to his eyes and he smiled at her and took her hand. Slowly they walked the length of the great hall, and reached the doors. He took her aside and placed a hand on her cheek.

"Thank you for what has been _the_ best night of my life," he murmured slowly. "I'm sorry, but I have some business to attend to before I go to my dorm."

"Tell me your name," she whispered, unaware that she was doing so when it was so quiet anyway.

"Alas a name is not important, but I will find you again," he promised.

"But how will I know it's you?" she asked, almost fearfully.

"Remember me with this," he murmured, and leaned forward till their lips met. It was soft, yet deliberate, and made every part of her body tingle with happiness as butterflies were unleashed in her stomach. When they separated he looked her in the eye, winked and then turned and slowly walked away, fading into the dark corridors.

"I will wait for your return," she whispered, more to herself than him, and slowly made her way up to the dorm, feeling like she was floating on air.

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**A/N:** Three guesses who Zorro is...


End file.
